Brandin Cooks injury update: Will Cowboys wide receiver return in Week 12

Will Brandin Cooks’ return provide a boost to the Cowboys offense in Week 12. Blaine Grisak breaks down the fantasy football implications.

The Dallas Cowboys have had a disappointing season in 2024 as they sit at 3-7 through 10 games. With Dak Prescott out the rest of the year, it’s unlikely things get any better in Dallas. However, the offense could get a spark back on Sunday. After missing the past six games, wide receiver Brandin Cooks could make his way back onto the field.

Brandin Cooks Injury Status

According to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks will officially be listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys designated Cooks to return from injured reserve earlier this week, putting him in the 21-day practice window. In order for Cooks to play, the Cowboys would have to officially activate him off of IR and make room on their 53-man roster prior to Sunday. Cooks was limited in practice all week.

Cooks has been out since Week 5 after he developed an infection in his knee following arthroscopic surgery. The Cowboys wide receiver has certainly been missed as they haven’t had a reliable second wide receiver across from CeeDee Lamb this season. Cooks will be a player to monitor on Sunday morning. The Cowboys play the Commanders at 1 p.m. ET.

What does Brandin Cooks’ injury mean for fantasy football?

The last time Cooks played back in Week 4 against the New York Giants, he had just one reception for 15 yards. The Cowboys wide receiver had only accumulated 9 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown through the first four weeks of the season.

Cooks wasn’t very productive to start the year, and a lot has changed in the Cowboys offense since he last played. Dak Prescott has been replaced with Cooper Rush due to injury and the Cowboys have been a team in a negative spiral.

Rush did have his most successful game as the Cowboys quarterback this season last week against the Texans. The Cowboys backup quarterback threw for 354 yards and a touchdown after having a season-high of only 115 yards in the previous three games.

With that said, CeeDee Lamb remains the only Cowboys player worth taking a chance on in fantasy football lineups. In Weeks 1-4, Cooks was only the WR71 with a season-best WR21 performance back in Week 1. The Commanders defense has been susceptible against the pass this season. Still, it’s hard to trust Rush to provide fantasy production to anyone outside of Lamb in the passing game.

Even in last week’s 354-yard performance by Rush, Lamb dominated the team’s targets with 12 with Luke Schoonmaker behind him at 10. KaVontae Turpin did have 86 yards, but it all came on three targets. It’s hard to see Cooks breaking into Lamb’s targets and finding fantasy relevance in his return.